Ensure Appropriate Distribution of Wealth Amongst All (Part 4)

To ensure appropriate distribution of wealth, we need firstly to perform, sincerely and diligently, our duties and responsibilities towards the nation and society. It is essential all the more when we talk about our rights. Yesterday, I had made some submissions regarding code of conduct for the citizen since every person of a State, whether he is a politician, an employee, an army-man, a policeman, a judicial officer or a businessman, he is firstly a citizen of that country.

As majority of the governments are being run on democratic pattern, there is need for the effective roles by the politicians or those who are in politics directly or indirectly. They influence the governance and the lives of the subjects as well.

Today an impression has gained ground that politics is the last resort of rogue and therefore majority of them are dishonest to a lesser or greater degree. We often hear people around us saying, “Politics is a dirty game, “Every sort of person except a politician can be reformed,” and so on and so forth, Such is the popular apathy towards the field of politics that its rating as a profession is very low.

However, unlike the popular impression all politicians are not of the tarnished bandwagon. The negative opinion is basically prejudiced. There may be unwanted politicians with shades of grey, dominating the scene, but good people with true social service motto, are not completely wanting.

As Shakespeare has said “There is noting good or bad but thinking makes it so”. Merely talking of corruption and dirtiness prevailing in politics cannot get rid of evil. Even Gandhi had an evasive attitude towards politics. He means way from it, owning to its corrupt and dirty particles. But simply keeping a distance cannot convert the profession into a respectable one. Except for a few people, nobody has made it a top choice. The reputation of politics cannot be improved if no truthful, courteous and considerate man of principle enters this field. Like a coin, politics also has two faces. One side are the persons who are elected and the other who are not elected. As in a coin, both these faces are equal and no one is preferred to the other if the basic function and duty of a politician is taken into consideration. But today, a successful politician is considered as that person who wins the election. It no doubt shows people’s confidence in him but it also encourages short term politics and programmers with a view to win the election.

Voters and taxpayers who elect politicians to office and pay their salaries should be able to feel confident that their elected officials will exercise fiduciary and moral responsibility while serving their constituency.

The power politicians wield, with its Machiavellian potential for corruption and abuse, demands that they be held to an even higher standard than the troops they deploy in defense of our country.

Main duties which a politician must look into to perform can be as follows:

1. One of the major problems facing many countries is the preservation of unity, integrity and sovereignty. But it is the duty of a politician to act as a thread to bind all pearls into a single chain, giving up their vote bank policy.

2. One of the reason for people to be misled by politicians and political parties is the prevailing illiteracy and people’ ignorance about various laws and their rights. It serves the purpose of politicians and people can be easily fooled and cheated. Thus, political illiteracy is dangerous as it kills the basic meaning of democracy. The politicians must make themselves literate to understand the problems of the public and suggest the solutions. Since they are law makers and if the law makers are not educated, they can not make good laws. Before entering into politics, they must gain minimum educational qualification and keep themselves refresh from time to time.

3. A politician does not wish to be retired at any age whereas in all other fields, there is a limit to the age for working. He must get retired from all the posts of profit/income/salary at certain age like 70 years to provide space to the younger generation to take over.

4. A politician must maintain transparency of his financial gains he makes out with his political contacts.

5. A politician must display respect to the law of the soil even in his personal matters. He must not misuse his position and never let any other one to misuse his name/position/contacts for any purpose.

6. He must not participate in any religious or caste oriented function publically, nor should he promote any superstitious traditions by participating publically. If he has some personal views, he must keep them up to himself only.

Similarly, other sections of the society must have some code of conduct to observe in the national interest. If we all perform sincerely, we can ensure appropriate distribution of wealth amongst all for the happiness of all.